So we took our 3-month-old with us to my 4-year-old's kindergarten orientation today since he is EBF (baby). They gave my 4-year-old a little plant in a cup with dirt to plant here at home, and some of the soil fell on my baby (we didn't realize until we got home). It was a very small amount, but it was on his clothes and a few specks on his face. He sucks on his fists and fingers, and I am so paranoid he may have ingested some of the soil and will get botulism :( :( Please help calm me down! :(

Don't worry about it, mama! There are only 80-100 cases of infant botulism in the USA a year, and trust me....there are a LOT more kids eating a little bit of dirt.....or a lot of dirt, as the case may be. If I were worried about my son eating tiny amounts of dirt, we would never leave the house. So fear not, caring mother, because I'm sure your baby is just fine!

This is a link about botulism and babies. Apparently, infants can get botulism from dirt -- but to put it into perspective, can also get it from breastfeeding,at least according to this article (presumably from dirt on the breast?). I have never heard of a baby getting botulism from dirt, just honey -- and I am kind of neurotic about food-borne illnesses, especially botulism. Unless your baby starts exhibiting symptoms, there's probably better things to obsess about (I say that in total sympathy, because I also obsess about thing with a one in a zillion chance of occurring.)

I can absolutely guarantee that both me and my sister ingested a fair bit of dirt as infants (grew up on a farm), and we survived.

Deep breath honey, you have gotten this far and you will get thru the rest of this too. i know you worry a lot and saying "dont worry" wont change that overnight. just remember how good it feels when you take a deep breath and let it go.

hugs, we're here for you.

So what if I don't fit cleanly into a defined parenting style, my kids don't fit into a personality archetype either!

Hi, I remember you from the 'I'm Pregnant' forum. You spend so much time worrying about stuff like this, I really really beg you to seek help. Your baby will be fine.

Really, "seek help?" Isnt a part of why we are all here is to help calm our fears and seek advice about one thing or another? Really, I dont think comments like this are very helpful. While I think there is nothing to worrry about in this case, there is nothing wrong with her posting and making it clear that she needs someone to help her calm down. I feel like these are the kind of things that make people scared to post their feelings on MDC because they are scared of being told that they dont matter.

OP,
If it makes you feel any better my kid eats dirt all the time. Id be more concerned with the chemicals the school put in the potting mix than botulism.

OP I wouldn't say you need help I think you are just trying to be a good mom. Life can be scary sometimes and it is so easy to focus on all the negative b/c it surrounds us. Just try to stay calm, maybe take up yoga or something that you can free yourself from the anxiety of doing everything "right". I got like this really bad when DD was first born. I was so paranoid of not doing it all the best way and screwing her up somehow. It can be overwhelming to be completely responsible for the life of another person, especially such a fragile person who you are so connected to. It is easy to say "go with the flow" but sometimes it takes a while to get a flow. Good luck and congrats!

Young born-again mama and loving wife to DH and SAHP to two crazy girls we and believe !

Hi, I remember you from the 'I'm Pregnant' forum. You spend so much time worrying about stuff like this, I really really beg you to seek help. Your baby will be fine.

Really, "seek help?" Isnt a part of why we are all here is to help calm our fears and seek advice about one thing or another? Really, I dont think comments like this are very helpful. While I think there is nothing to worrry about in this case, there is nothing wrong with her posting and making it clear that she needs someone to help her calm down. I feel like these are the kind of things that make people scared to post their feelings on MDC because they are scared of being told that they dont matter.

OP,
If it makes you feel any better my kid eats dirt all the time. Id be more concerned with the chemicals the school put in the potting mix than botulism.

While it's true that sometimes we just need someone to help give us support and perspective, pre and post-partum anxiety are very real problems that frequently go undiagnosed and untreated. OP, if you feel that your anxiety is unusually strong or difficult to control, I would also encourage you to check in briefly with a medical provider to make sure there isn't something else going on. Especially those of us with a history of miscarriage sometimes need extra help working through anxiety like this.

While it's true that sometimes we just need someone to help give us support and perspective, pre and post-partum anxiety are very real problems that frequently go undiagnosed and untreated. OP, if you feel that your anxiety is unusually strong or difficult to control, I would also encourage you to check in briefly with a medical provider to make sure there isn't something else going on. Especially those of us with a history of miscarriage sometimes need extra help working through anxiety like this.

Good point. Regardless, there are better ways to tell someone that than begging them to seek help.

The OP in this case is no stranger to us and we in her DDC helped her thru a lot, including her seeking more professional advice on her anxity. So that is why you may notice some of us respond with familiarity.

I do personally believe that she understands how her worries can get overboard and that is why she comes here to be "talked down". As long as she cnan see what the cycle is, she is in a much better place than many with similar issues. and since us sending her hugs and reality checks has worked well over the nearly year that I have known her online, she will continue to get just that from me. Yes I agree she canprobsbly benefit greatly from some sort of ongoing counseling to address what prompts these worries, she knows that. I do also think it's ok for us to gently reminde her every so often.

To the OP, hugs again lady, look how far you have come, look how amazing it is that you made a life. Please take a minute and sit back and bask in that glory, you have earned it.

So what if I don't fit cleanly into a defined parenting style, my kids don't fit into a personality archetype either!

I am a worrier too it helps me to list reasons why my fear is over the top.It's helped a lot I will say that commercial potting mixes are always sterilized with heat to kill off weed spores. I hope that helps.

Annemarie ~catholic mom of 8 -4 boys (19-16-10-7).Emma)2 girls (3 and 1)Someone new due in April too!An yes I Blog @ You Leave me breadless blog

The best way I've found to calm my freak-outs is to share my worry with the people around me and let them tell me why I am going over the top. Posting one's worries is an efficient and smart way to work through things. Hope everyone allayed your fears.

I agree with the PPs, talking over your fears with someone helps, as does rationalizing it out. Another thing that has helped me immensely is the little question: "is it happening now?"If I'm in a car and silently freaking out about the possibility of it crashing; or in an airplane, same scenario; or walking through the grocery store worried that I'm going to collapse and die on the floor; or any number of things my brain decides is a good thing to spend its time on, I ask myself "is it happening NOW?" Almost invariably, the answer is no, and I'm able to continue in a less worried fashion.

It does sounds as though you should seek help for your anxiety. It's no way to live and honestly no way to grow up. My mom was like that and it took me a long time to detangle her irrational fears from reality.

Who's to say she is not already seeking help? Also if she is BFing maybe meds are not a good option for her. My mom was bi-polar manic depressive and I grew up in a really unstable home and my mother always sought help. She was in and out of mental institutions, always trying new meds, in therapy, you name it she tried it. She was on a trial with Wellbutrin XL (when it just hit the market years ago) and ended up committing suicide. So yes it is absolutely a serious thing.

Regardless of what OP is doing for her own mental help she should be able to come on here for support and not have people repeatedly telling her to go seek help. Clearly she has heard it before and for all we know she is getting help or at least exploring the options she has.

They put me on Zoloft for PPD it I could barely get off the couch for a month...people react differently to different treatments. Talk therapy and a change in faith ended up changing my life, while for others it may do nothing. Then there are people like my mom who fight and fight trying to get better only to come to the conclusion that nothing will help them. It is a hard and lonely world when you are stuck in that place and people keep telling you to "just go get help" or "snap out of it" like there is some easy straightforward solution. Sometimes people make it worse...

Be strong OP your children need you.

Young born-again mama and loving wife to DH and SAHP to two crazy girls we and believe !

Who's to say she is not already seeking help? Also if she is BFing maybe meds are not a good option for her. My mom was bi-polar manic depressive and I grew up in a really unstable home and my mother always sought help. She was in and out of mental institutions, always trying new meds, in therapy, you name it she tried it. She was on a trial with Wellbutrin XL (when it just hit the market years ago) and ended up committing suicide. So yes it is absolutely a serious thing.

Regardless of what OP is doing for her own mental help she should be able to come on here for support and not have people repeatedly telling her to go seek help. Clearly she has heard it before and for all we know she is getting help or at least exploring the options she has.

They put me on Zoloft for PPD it I could barely get off the couch for a month...people react differently to different treatments. Talk therapy and a change in faith ended up changing my life, while for others it may do nothing. Then there are people like my mom who fight and fight trying to get better only to come to the conclusion that nothing will help them. It is a hard and lonely world when you are stuck in that place and people keep telling you to "just go get help" or "snap out of it" like there is some easy straightforward solution. Sometimes people make it worse...

Be strong OP your children need you.

Thank you so much for this (and for all of you ladies, because I know you were all speaking out of concern)! I know I probably need some therapy for my ocd, but I don't want to get on meds. One, because I'm BF and won't even take a Tylenol (with the exception of the Motrin I took day 2 after my C-section), much less some meds that will do who-knows-what to my baby. Also my mother was heavily addicted to prescription pain meds at one time, which led to an addiction to other things. Her life was almost destroyed because of it and she nearly died. She was also on depression meds and for a year she didn't leave her room (this was years ago but I remember it clearly). So I have no desire for any medication. It really does help to hear from you guys when I ask a question for reassurance, to know that you did the same and all was fine, etc. That helps more than anything, and I thank you!

I agree with the PPs, talking over your fears with someone helps, as does rationalizing it out. Another thing that has helped me immensely is the little question: "is it happening now?"If I'm in a car and silently freaking out about the possibility of it crashing; or in an airplane, same scenario; or walking through the grocery store worried that I'm going to collapse and die on the floor; or any number of things my brain decides is a good thing to spend its time on, I ask myself "is it happening NOW?" Almost invariably, the answer is no, and I'm able to continue in a less worried fashion.

This is really good advice and I will def try this the next time I am in full panic mode, thank you!! :)